Ghosts and Whispers
by FreyInWonderland
Summary: [New and Improved] Arthur didn't know the exact length of time that he'd been chained to the wall of the cave, he didn't know how long the ghost had been with him, either. But he knew he had to escape. Fast. With or without the help of his fellow prisoner.
1. Chapter 1

Arthur didn't know the exact length of time that he'd been chained to the wall of the cave. He didn't know how long his hands had been tied, painfully, above his head. His shirt was no longer white; it was a mix of black and brown, and a strange shade of red, presumably his blood. He groaned as he moved his neck an inch forward. How long had he been lying in this position? A day? A week? His arms ached, screaming to be set free from the shackles that bound them. His legs stretched out in front of him, stiff from not being moved and from the coldness. Arthur assumed that, since it was the middle of the night, temperatures had already dropped below freezing. His eyes slowly started to adjust to the darkness, and in front of him he picked out the shape of the familiar rock that had become his only company. He shifted his weight, causing his chains to rattle, a sound that seemed to deafen him in the lonely silence of the cave.

A sliver of blood tricked from his hairline to his cheek. It had been so long since his captors had last visited, giving him nothing but a teaspoonful of muddy water to drink. Then they had proceeded to kick him repeatedly in the stomach, hard. Arthur had felt the wind drain from his body as the first blow landed, and he soon found himself unable to breathe. He cowered against the wall, surrendering to their cruelness.

It seems like a century since he last saw his kingdom; his father, Morgana, the knights. Gwen. Oh, how he missed his love. He kept the warmth of that last kiss goodbye close to his heart, as a lone tear rolled down his dust-covered cheek.

His eyes had closed. He was slowly drifting to sleep when he heard the unfamiliar noise. Off to his right, he heard the odd sound of rattling chains. He peered around in the darkness, scared and confused. The noise sounded again, and Arthur scrambled backwards, his back crashing against the wall. The noise came again, but this time it was followed by another. The silent, terrified cry of help that had so recently escaped his _own_ lips. Arthur suddenly realised that he was no longer alone, that he had company in this hell he was living in. His dry mouth opened, but the only sound that came out was that of a blood-riddled cough. From the darkness, a fearful voice reached him.

'Wh-' cut off by a chesty cough, the man that hid in the shadows doubled over. 'Whose there?' he finished, his voice gravely and weak. Arthur's eyes widened. The voice seemed so close, yet so far away. Arthur was so convinced that he was dreaming, that it was his mind simply playing a cruel trick on him. But the voice came again, and Arthur listened, carefully.

'P-please, I- I know someone' there…' The man sounded so scared. So child-like. Arthur sat in silence for what seemed like a century before he found his mouth opening.

'Who are you?' he asked the darkness of the cave, unsure of which direction to point his tired head. The voice that replied echoed around him, like a ghostly wind. It wrapped itself around him, squeezing him tightly, so tightly that his eyes started to water, and Arthur found himself crying.

'My-' another cough, worse this time, racked the poor soul that had no face. Arthur could do nothing but wait. 'I'm M-Merlin,' the ghost continued. 'My name is.. is Merlin.' It was no more than a whisper to Arthur. He craned his neck, instantly regretting it as a brand new, sharp shot of pain ran through his muscles. He hissed in air through his yellowing teeth, and took three deep breaths.

'Why- why are you here?' he said, his fists clenched tight at his stomach.

'I don't know,' the ghost sounded almost guilty as he spoke his words, and an breeze of untruthfulness floated through the cave, landing gently on Arthur's ear, pausing a moment before dancing inside. Arthur remained silent, the words he longed to speak no longer willing. He moved slowly, gently, allowing his head to drop backwards, resting upon the wall once again.

The silence returned. No longer did his fellow ghost speak. The only sound now was the quiet breathing, chains rattling, and the occasional outbreak of coughing.

Arthur fell asleep to the sounds of his prison, and he awoke to the sounds of yelling. There was little light floating into the cave, but Arthur could see enough to make out thee three, large men that hunched over his cave mate.

'Did I give you permission to talk, filth!' One of the men cussed, following up with a kick to the stomach of the man that lay cowering beneath him. Arthur dared not move for fear of the anger being turned onto him.

'N-n-no. No, I'm sorry.' The man whimpered. Another kick, this time to the chest. The ghost yelled out in pain, causing Arthur to wince.

'Then _why _are you still talking!' Behind the kicker, a man sneered and took a step forward, slapping his hand on the man's shoulder. The kicker retreated, and the other took his place.

'You think you could defy us, _sorcerer_.' The man sneered. From what he could see, the man stood no taller than 5ft 9, three inches taller than Arthur himself. He saw no sign of hair upon the man's head, and he wore what looked like a robe, that reached to the floor, showing nothing but his boot-clad feet. Arthur's eyes moved from the feet to the boy that lay motionless beside them. His hair appeared black, sticking out in every direction much like Arthur's own. He wore nothing but a pair of breeches, a belt was tied tightly around his too-small waist. He lay with his hands covering his face, his fists gripping clumps of his hair tightly as he awaited the next blow.

'Filth like you _deserve _to be,' a kick to the stomach. 'Punished!' followed by a heavy stomp to the man's left foot. A cry of pain followed, one which Arthur blocked out by closing his eyes tight and biting down as hard as he could on his tongue. The pain in his mouth was worse, to him, than the pain-filled cries that his cave mate was making. They lasted for a while, and Arthur was sure that he would have bitten off the tip of his tongue completely if the robed man hadn't given him a swift kick to the head, knocking the man unconscious almost instantly.

Arthur's eyes snapped shut immediately, and he could feel angry eyes watching him. He breathed as slowly and as quietly as he possibly could, and soon the men had left him alone with his sleeping friend.

It was a few hours later when Arthur awoke, his hand gripping the sleeve of his tunic tightly. It was always the same face that plagued his dreams: Uther Pendragon. In his dreams, Arthur always returned to being five years old…

_Thunder crashes down above him. The room is lit with flashes of lightning. Arthur lays, cowering under the duvet, his hand clasped tightly around the neck of his beloved teddy bear. His eyes are shut tight, he's trembling. The loudness of the thunder frightened him. When he opened his eyes again, the storm no longer raged. Arthur felt something wet and sticky, beneath him. Sitting himself up, he threw the covers off him. His eyes widened in horror as he saw the patch of wetness beneath him. Jumping out of his bed, the struggled to remove the sheet from his bed. Finally, though, he got it, and he rushed to the door, throwing it open. That was always when his father appeared, his face contorted with rage, the cane in his hand. Arthur dropped the sheets to the ground. His teddy bear dropping with them, getting lost in the tangle of white. His father rushed forward, gripping him by the and spinning him around. He lifted his hand in the air and brought the cane down. Five year old Arthur started screaming, and twenty five year old Arthur did so a moment later…_

'S- sir? Hey, are you alright?' Arthur's eyes opened. It took a moment for his breathing to return to almost normal. He pulled on the chains above him, lifting himself up into a sitting position, flinching as the usual shot of pain ran through his muscles. He turned his head, searching out the location of the voice that had broken into his nightmare and dragged him to safety. At last his eyes rested on the shadow of a hunched-up figure. He was chained in the same position as Arthur, his legs pulled up to his chest. He looked deathly thin in the dimness of the light, and for a moment, Arthur was certain once again that he was dreaming.

'What?' he coughed, unsure if he had heard the man speak. His head lifted, and Arthur saw a pair of eyes looking back at him.

'I-,' he tried to move forward; his eyes had yet to adjust to the darkness, and he struggled to see Arthur. 'I asked if you were alright.' His voice sounded young, but not the least bit child-like. Arthur bowed his head.

'What do _you _think?' he asked, sadness in his voice. Arthur's eyes closed.

'Oh, I'm- I'm sorry, I didn't mean…' The man paused, and Arthur wondered if he was going to erupt into fits of coughing, but the cave remained silent. For a moment, at least, for the man spoke again, and when he did so, Arthur could hear tears in his voice.

'You were screaming.' He whispered. Arthur lifted his head.

'Yes, well…' he paused as the memories of his nightmare came flowing back to him. 'I, eh… where- where did you come from?' Arthur asked, hoping that the man would not mind the change of subject.

'I don't really remember to be honest.'

'Yeah…' Arthur said, thoughtfully. 'Me either.'

'Your voice…'

'My- my voice?' Arthur asked, confused.

'It,' the sound of rattling chains told Arthur that the man had moved. 'It's really familiar. I'm sure I've heard you speak before.' Arthur shook his head, though he knew it would be no use in the darkness.

'You- you're sure?' he asked, curling and uncurling his poor, frozen toes. 'How can you be sure?' His last words came out as a whisper, and Arthur was a little disappointed when no reply came.

He must have nodded off, because when he opened his eyes, a shadow was standing over him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Yay, chapter 2 :) Beta'd by the wonderful FiOeX, my newe favourite person x Please review X**

Merlin's eyes opened as his head connected painfully to the cave wall. He suppressed a groan, biting the inside of his cheeks to keep himself quiet as he lifted himself to his knees. His joints protested greatly, rubbing painfully together as he turned his body to the right. He looked towards the direction that the man's voice had come from, listening out for any sign that he was alright. Merlin had heard no sounds from that side of the cave for a while now; no rattling chains or coughing, no sounds of breathing. He leaned forward as much as he could, craning his neck and blinking rapidly, until his arms ached.

'Ex- excuse me… sir?' Merlin spoke into the darkness, doubtfully. The man had seemed reluctant to open up to him, which was understandable. Merlin, himself, felt drained from saying just a few words. Merlin flinched in surprise when a noise reached his ears.

'Hmm?' The man sounded exhausted, in pain, but it only made Merlin want to talk to him more.

'Are you… all right?' he asked hesitantly, crossing his legs beneath him.

The sounds of rattling chains were followed by a sharp intake of breath as Arthur lifted his head quickly. His couldn't be sure if he was dreaming or not, that was just how things were now. He woke up to darkness, he fell asleep to darkness, and he dreamed in darkness. He took in a couple of long, deep breaths, awaiting the pain in his neck to fade to a dull throb, before replying to the voice he had heard.

'What?' He sounded more confused than he had intended, and his eyebrows knitted together as he turned.

'I asked if you were all right.'

'Are you?' he mumbled back as his reply. The question took Merlin by surprise, and he sat in silence as he thought of the answer.

'I'm alive…' Arthur could hear the uncertainty in his words.

'But?' he questioned, urging the man to continue.

'But… I'm scared.' He bowed his head, barely hearing the groan that escaped his own lips. Arthur looked to the small shimmer of light that entered the cave with sadness in his eyes.

'Scared?' he repeated, knowingly. 'Of what?' Of course, he knew what the answer would be. The fear of not knowing had been eating him alive ever since he'd awakened in this prison.

'I guess I just… how long have you been here?'

Arthur tried to recall the number of days, of weeks, that he'd been trapped here, but no answer came to him. He knew that it had been snowing the day he'd been kidnapped, as it was just under a week until Christmas. But he had no way of telling the number of days.

'I don't know.' It clearly was not the answer that his companion had been searching for, as Arthur heard a loud, hopeless sigh.

'A few weeks, maybe?' Arthur questioned himself. 'But… I don't plan on staying much longer.'

Merlin's head snapped up. 'How do you think you're going to get out?' he asked, the doubt evident in his voice.

'I haven't thought of that part, yet.'

Merlin scoffed, and Arthur turned to look at him, scowling.

'What?'

'You don't really believe you can escape, do you?'

Arthur's eyes widened. 'I… I...' Arthur was at a loss for words. He'd thought of the idea of escaping the third night he'd been here, when one of his captors had come in to beat him. Arthur had seen a key, dangling from his belt that was presumably for the shackles. Every night since, he'd dreamt of escape. It was the only thing that kept him going.

The cave fell into an awkward silence, and outside the rain pounded against the ground, unwilling to let Arthur sleep. He shifted uncomfortably, his head drooping against his chest, but it was no use; his arms were painfully uncomfortable, and he could barely sit straight. The light soon faded, and Arthur jumped to attention when he heard footsteps approaching.

The man loomed over him, tall and snarling, and Arthur moved as quickly as he could to press himself against the wall, banging his head in the process.

'Afternoon, Arthur.' The man hissed, leaning in close. Arthur could feel his onion-scented breath on his cheek, as he snarled in his ear.  
'Time to play a little game.' He lifted his hands, and Arthur squeezed his eyes shut, expecting a blow at any minute. But none came, and after a moment Arthur's arms dropped to the ground. Arthur whimpered as the man gripped him roughly by the shoulder and dragged him to his feet. He struggled to stand steady, as his legs had not been used in so long. Arthur peered over the man's shoulder and into the frightened eyes of Merlin.

'Now,' the man yelled, causing Arthur to flinch. He chuckled and turned to Merlin, storming over to him and unlocking his shackles.  
'Get up!' he commanded. Merlin stumbled to his knees, and the man gripped the back of his neck, pushing him to his stomach. Merlin rolled onto his side and curled up into a ball, his hand gripping the chest of his shirt. Arthur stumbled forward a step.

'Don't you dare!' The man yelled, stopping Arthur in his tracks. Arthur's gaze was fixed on Merlin.

'Now, the rules!' The man moved in circles around Arthur, occasionally prodding him in the shoulder or the chest. 'You… answer my questions honestly. Or he,' the man stopped walking, and pointed to Merlin. 'He pays the price. Lets say… one finger per lie?' he raised his eyebrows, letting out a loud chuckle at the sound of Merlin's terrified whimper.


	3. Chapter 3

**Dear nice person that reviewed and stuff, I know I saidthere wouldn't be oe up until after Christmas, but I'd forgotte tha I ha this chapter written. So, uh... merry christmas? :)**

A foot crashed down on Merlin's hand, and the man let out an anguished cry of pain. Arthur's hands flew up to cover his eyes. He fell to his knees, his hands struggling to swipe away the tears that ran down his cheeks.

'_God_, I was telling the _truth_!' he cried out.

'Yes, I know you were.' Looking up at his captor, Arthur was suddenly filled with blinding rage. He looked at Merlin, who lay trembling and broken of the floor. For a moment their eyes connected, and Arthur swore to himself that he would never again tell a lie.

'Now!' He was snapped back to reality by the harsh voice of the man. 'Next question. I saw you with that woman.' Arthur's head snapped up, and Merlin saw the instant change in his eyes.

'Pretty little thing, aint she. What's her name?' Arthur shook his head.

'Leave her out of this.' He ordered, hatefully. The man let out a laugh and moved towards Arthur, raising his hand and bringing it down forcefully on Arthur's cheek. He collapsed to the ground with a sob.

'How _dare _you tell me what to do!' the man spat. 'You're no king now, boy!' Arthur buried his head in the crook of his elbow, no longer stopping the sobs from racking his now-small frame.

'Now I'll ask you again; _what _is her name?'

'I'll never tell you.' Arthur mumbled, weakly. One last time, the man raised his root, bringing it down on Arthur's fragile skull. Arthur had no time to react before his world was plunged into darkness once more.

Merlin lay still for what seemed like forever. The pain that coursed through his hand, hiss arm, his everything, caused his vision to blur. He automatically flinched as he saw the faint outline of a man moving towards him, and he moved to cover his face, bringing a new wave of pain to him. The man knelt before him.

'Looks like it's your lucky day,' he whispered, brushing a strand of hair from Merlin's sweat-soaked forehead. 'Next time. It'll be your last.' The man stood and Merlin was alone once again, no comfort from the stranger. Arthur lay motionless on the floor, his head turned away from Merlin. A river of blood was making it's way from his head, towards Merlin. Merlin reached out his good hand, slowly and shakily, but he was simply too far away to reach him.

'A-' Merlin's head dropped to the ground. He had no energy to move, to even speak. But something within him challenged him to go on, and slowly but surely his head lifted again. He bent his knee and reached his hand out as far as he could, grasping at mud and stone until he had moved an inch. He continued in this fashion for ten minutes or so, until he was close enough to reach out and touch the brave stranger that lay so close to him.

'Arth…' Merlin's head dropped to the ground once again, this time with a deafening thud, and Merlin too was dragged into darkness, his fingers gently touching Arthur's cheek.


End file.
